A mathematics teacher, at a well-known primary school in Nakhon Pathom, is in police custody following his arrest yesterday on charges of sexual abuse of minors under the age of 15 and the discovery of large quantity of explicit images of his sexual activities with his underage victims.
The teacher’s identity is being kept confidential by the police to protect the underage victims. The name of the school at which he taught has also no been not disclosed for the same reason.
Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, the national deputy police chief, told a press conference today in Nakhon Pathom province that the collection of over 500 indecent video clips stored in the smart phone is one of the largest ever seized.
Police learned of the abuse, which had been going on undetected for more than a decade, when the parents of a 14-year-old student filed a formal complaint with the Muang district police on July 2, claiming that their son had been sexually assaulted by the teacher.
The parents told the police that their son had become depressed and complained of pain in his genital area. They took him to see a doctor, who diagnosed a genital infection.
The boy later told his parents that he had been sexually assaulted repeatedly by the teacher between last November and May and that the assaults were recorded on the teacher’s cellphone. He also claimed that the teacher had threatened to release the videos if he told anyone what had happened.
Armed with a warrant, police searched the teacher’s house yesterday and were shocked when they found hundreds of pornographic clips stored on his computers and smart phone.
Police claim that more than 20 boys had fallen victim to the teacher over a period of about 10 years.
Pol. Gen. Tatchai said that the abuse has had serious psychological impacts on several young victims and their parents, adding that penalties on conviction for possessing pornographic materials are five year in prison and/or a maximum fine of 100,000 baht. If the materials are sold for gain, the prison term is 7 years.
He said that a human trafficking charge would also be filed against the teacher if there is evidence that the clips have been sold.
